Posted in Agendas, Animal Welfare, Barrington Hills Park District, Barrington Hills Polo Club, Big Brother, BraveHearts, Citizens for Conservation, Conflict of interest, Countryside Elementary School, Deception, Elections, Equestrian Commission, Ethics, Financial Statements, Fox River Valley Hunt, FPDCC, FRVPC, Horizon Farm, Horse Boarding, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Use, Massbach Hounds, Politics, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Riding Club of Barrington Hills, Taxes, Unions on October 12, 2022| 1 Comment »
The Barrington Hills Park District Board will hold their regular monthly meeting this evening in person and via Zoom at 7:00 PM. Topics on their agenda include:
A copy of their agenda can be viewed here. Instructions for accessing the meeting remotely can be found here.
Posted in Barrington High School, Countryside Elementary School, IDOT, Road construction on October 7, 2022| Leave a Comment »
“This week, the Contractor laid asphalt prime, a liquid coating that is applied before the second (surface) layer of asphalt is placed.
Beginning Monday (October 10), the Contractor will be laying the final layer of asphalt from Northwest Highway to Hart Road and expect to have all paving completed by the end of the week, weather permitting. There will be delays associated with lane closures in this area during this work.
Pavement striping and final restoration work will follow.
We understand the frustration with this construction and the associated traffic delays and congestion. While this is not a Village project, we will continue to share updates from IDOT and are looking forward to the completion of this significant improvement in our community!”
Posted in 220, Barrington Education Association, Barrington High School, Board of Education, Countryside Elementary School, His Master's Voice, Politics, Property Taxes, School Districts on October 6, 2022| Leave a Comment »
A parents’ rights group is raising the alarm after a Springfield school librarian’s promotion of a controversial book was highlighted by a Twitter feed with 1.4 million followers.
The Twitter user LibsofTikTok recently shared a TikTok video from a Springfield high school librarian promoting the graphic novel “Gender Queer: A Memoir” by Maia Kobabe.
“People who are questioning their sexual identity and their gender identity are going to view this book as a mirror, a reflective experience of their own and this book is also a great window for those who want to understand that perspective,” TikTok user arkenne90 said.
The account has since gone private but the video of the book’s promotion remains on the LibsofTikTok Twitter account, where it’s been viewed more than 161,400 times.
“It’s a wonderful story about someone who is finding out who they are and embracing it,” the librarian said of the book. “And, I love that there are resources and it’s super educational … You can come check out a copy here from the library.”
LibsofTikTok tagged Springfield School District 186 on Twitter. Neither the district nor the Lanphier High School librarian returned messages to The Center Square seeking comment.
Shannon Adcock, founder of the parents’ rights group Awake Illinois, said public schools are not where such content should be accessible. The book has sexually explicit content, Adcock said, and it goes further.
“It’s not just depicting sex acts, there’s actually a moral to the story which is again teachers to be the champion of gender ideology and sexuality to their classroom,” Adcock told The Center Square.
Read more here.
Posted in 220, Barrington Education Association, Barrington High School, Board of Education, Countryside Elementary School, Elections, FUBAR, His Master's Voice, Politics, Property Taxes, School Districts, Unions, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on September 26, 2022| Leave a Comment »
Just last week in Barrington, the school board voted to keep “Flame” and “This Book Is Gay,” two books about gender and sexuality. In a 4-3 vote, the board ultimately accepted a recommendation by a school advisory committee of experts to keep the books after determining they didn’t meet the standard for obscenity and pornography.
A glass shelf displaying some of the most notable challenged books in the country adorns the entryway of the Chicago Public Library’s Lincoln Belmont branch. The books are surrounded by yellow tape and red signs that inevitably steer the attention of those who walk inside to the titles that have been banned, or attempted to be banned, in other libraries across the country.
But instead of taking the books off the shelves, visitors at the library were invited — in celebration of Banned Book Week 2022 — to learn about each one of them and encourage discussions about the topics for which they were banned. City Lit Theater Company joined the efforts by presenting a theatrical display of iconic banned and challenged books, allowing people to make their own decision on whether to read them.
Last week, city and Chicago Public Library officials declared Chicago a sanctuary city for those stories, by establishing “Book Sanctuaries” across the city’s 77 distinct community areas and 81 library branches. That entails a commitment to expand local access to banned or challenged books through library programming.
Meanwhile, attempts to ban books across the country — including in suburban Illinois — are escalating at a rate never seen since the American Library Association began tracking data more than 20 years ago, according its most recent report.
Just last week in Barrington, the school board voted to keep “Flame” and “This Book Is Gay,” two books about gender and sexuality.
In a 4-3 vote, the board ultimately accepted a recommendation by a school advisory committee of experts to keep the books after determining they didn’t meet the standard for obscenity and pornography.
Erin Chan Ding, a board member, said the removal of the books could potentially impact young people that could identify as LGBTQ students. And though the books may have strong imagery and words, it should be up to parents if their children read them.
In August, Barrington school board members also voted to keep “Gender Queer” in the Barrington High School library.
“We’re making these books available, but we’re not actively incorporating the books that were challenged into the curriculum,” said Chan Ding, a mother to an eight and a fourth grader.
As a mother, she said, she understands that some parents question the books and want to prevent access to them. “I have empathy for parents who disagree with our decision and I acknowledge and fully recognize that there’s a full spectrum of opinions. … It is a parent’s responsibility and role to do what is best for their own child but that doesn’t mean restricting access to other people.”
Read more here.
Related: “District 220 posts April 2023 Election Candidate’s Guide,” “District 220 Board of Education meets tonight”
Posted in 220, Agendas, Barrington Education Association, Barrington High School, Board of Education, Countryside Elementary School, Elections, His Master's Voice, Politics, Property Taxes, School Districts, Unions, Video Streaming, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on September 20, 2022| 2 Comments »
The 220 Board of Education will consider upholding the recommendation of these two books tonight.
The District 220 Board of Education meets this evening at 7:00 PM at the District Administration Center, 515 W. Main Street. Topics for discussion in their agenda include:
A copy of the agenda can be viewed here.
The meeting will be livestreamed on the district YouTube channel.
Posted in 220, Barrington High School, Countryside Elementary School, IDOT, Road construction, School Districts, Traffic on September 20, 2022| Leave a Comment »
“Construction Update September 19, 2022
Tuesday morning (9/20) at 7:00 AM, IDOT’s Contractor will begin paving work on Main Street just east of Route 59 (Hough Street) and will move westbound toward Hart Road. The contractor anticipates remaining east of the CN tracks through the end of the morning school drop-off and then will complete asphalt work at the Hart and Main intersection ahead of school letting out in the afternoon.
While this moving operation will still impact traffic, the Village appreciates the Contractor’s assistance in mitigating impacts directly at the Hart Road and Main Street intersection during heavy traffic times. There will continue to be delays associated with lane closures during paving operations. Should weather continue to cooperate, the placement of a second layer of asphalt throughout the Village will begin this week and could be completed as early as the end of this month, leaving only roadway striping work remaining.
We understand the frustration with this construction and the associated traffic delays and congestion. While this is not a Village project, we will continue to share updates from IDOT and are looking forward to the completion of this significant improvement in our community!”
Posted in 220, Agendas, Animal Welfare, Barrington Children's Charities, Barrington Education Association, Barrington High School, Board of Education, Countryside Elementary School, Elections, His Master's Voice, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Road construction, School Districts, Traffic, Unions, Video Recordings on September 6, 2022| Leave a Comment »
The District 220 Board of Education meets this evening at 7:00 PM at the District Administration Center, 515 W. Main Street. Some of the topics on their agenda include:
A copy of the agenda can be viewed here. The meeting will be live streamed on the district YouTube channel.
Related: “Controversial ‘Gender Queer’ will remain on the shelf at Barrington High, school board decides”
Posted in Audio Recordings, Barrington Hills Country Club, Cook, Countryside Elementary School, County, ePacket Agendas, Lake, One Barrington Hills, Politics, Resident Spotlights, Roads & Bridges Committee, Uncategorized, VBHPD, Village Board, Village Government, Village President on September 2, 2022| 1 Comment »
Road signs on Haegers Bend Road let drivers know which way to turn when driving in Barrington Hills or Algonquin.
The August Board of Trustees meeting was brief. It lasted less than half an hour, but that was more than enough time to cause continued disappointment with the Cecola administration.
For example, why has the phone-in system to Board of Trustee meetings not yet been fixed yet? Is it intentional to discourage resident’s attendance or does it just reflect incompetence on the part of those responsible for getting the job done?
Next, Laura Ekstrom, Roads & Bridges Committee Chair, provided an update on resurfacing work and detours taking place on, “Lake Cook Road,” in our Village. President Cecola, former committee chair, and Bryan Croll provided their perspectives on, “Lake Cook Road,” work. The problem is, there is no road named, “Lake Cook,” in Barrington Hills.
County Line Road, named decades before Barrington Hills was incorporated, runs from Haegers Bend Road all the way to Hart Road. Trustee Riff, who actually lives on County Line Road, joined in the road work discussion yet made no effort to correct the record. Given the fact he wrote on his Facebook site, “I was swarm into office as a Barrington Hills, Illinois Trustee,” he may not be as bright as some had hoped.
Some will say we’re picking at nits here. But ask the employees or residents of the Barrington Hills Country Club, Countryside Elementary School or the Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House what their address is, they will all say County Line Road. Other might say, “Come on, you know what they meant,” however, one must then question what else Trustees say versus what they meant.
The best point we can make in rebuttal is if you Google, “300 W. Lake Cook Road, Barrington Hills, IL,” instead of a map leading to Barrington Hills Country Club, you’ll see a map of downtown Buffalo Grove.
We elected Trustees relying on their intelligence and experience. Live up to those expectations.
Recordings from the August 22nd Board of Trustees meeting can be found here.
Posted in 220, Barrington Education Association, Barrington High School, Board of Education, Countryside Elementary School, Elections, Ethics, His Master's Voice, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, School Districts, Unions, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on August 29, 2022| Leave a Comment »
A copy of “Gender Queer,” a graphic novel about a nonbinary teen, sits on a table during the Barrington District 220 school board meeting on Aug. 16, 2022, in Barrington. (H. Rick Bamman / Pioneer Press)
As the mother of five children, Barrington resident Marsha McClary approved of her hometown school district teaching students about the birds and the bees with what she described as a traditional, biology-based sex education program.
So when McClary heard Illinois lawmakers had passed legislation mandating that school districts teaching comprehensive sex education follow new standards created by a New York City-based nonprofit, McClary decided to do her homework.
“I read through the whole thing and in general, I thought, a lot of these things in the standards are wonderful, but then I got to page 21, and for me, that’s where the rubber meets the road,” said McClary, whose children are enrolled in Barrington School District 220.
In particular, McClary was troubled that the standards required that by the end of fifth grade, Illinois students should be able to “describe the role hormones play in the physical, social, cognitive, and emotional changes during adolescence and the potential role of hormone blockers on young people who identify as transgender.”
McClary was also alarmed to see a requirement that by the end of fifth grade students should be able to “distinguish between sex assigned at birth and gender identity and explain how they may or may not differ,” as well as “define and explain differences between cisgender, transgender, gender nonbinary, gender expansive, and gender identity” and understand that “gender expression and gender identity exist along a spectrum.”
“For an 11-year-old person, I’m just not OK with that,” McClary said.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the Keeping Youth Safe and Healthy Act into law in August 2021, making Illinois the first state in the U.S. to formally pass legislation codifying new national sex education standards developed by SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change.
According to the SIECUS website, the nonprofit advances sex education as a means to create a “long-term culture shift that will positively impact all levels of society, particularly issues of gender and racial equity, sexuality, sexual and reproductive health, consent, personal safety, and autonomy.”
Read more here.
Related: “Controversial ‘Gender Queer’ will remain on the shelf at Barrington High, school board decides”
Posted in 220, Barrington High School, Countryside Elementary School, County, District 220 referendum, EJ&E/Canadian National, FUBAR, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Lake, Land Use, METRA, New Normal?, Politics, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Road construction, Roads & Bridges Committee, School Districts, Taxes, Traffic, Unions, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on August 21, 2022| Leave a Comment »
“Sounds like a nuisance.” – The Daily Herald’s description of District 220’s traffic plan. Officials are so confused they’ve misspelled traffic signs.
“As you are aware, the Lake County Department of Transportation is replacing the bridge over Flint Creek on Hart Road. The bridge replacement and road closure is scheduled through November. To help mitigate traffic impacts from the road closure, representatives and traffic engineers from the Lake County Department of Transportation, the Village of Barrington, and Barrington 220 have worked in collaboration to improve traffic flow on and around the Barrington High School Campus. Although these efforts will help alleviate congestion at arrival and dismissal time, improved traffic flow can only go so far toward mitigating congestion.
To that end, Barrington 220 and the Village of Barrington have been consulting with Barrington Transportation to help reduce congestion near BHS. We ask that all students and families consider walking, biking, or riding the bus if possible. In fact, students who consistently walk, bike, or ride the bus on and off of campus will be entered into a drawing to win BHS spirit wear, gift cards for Airpods, Apple Watches and more.
Other ways to reduce congestion could be to utilize these remote options:
1) Purchase a parking permit for one of 3 locations at a cost of $100:
2) Sign-up for dropping off students at a remote location (FREE)
Both options include a shuttle bus from the location to BHS, leaving remote locations at 8AM and a shuttle bus from BHS to the remote locations at the end of the school day, arriving at the remote locations at approximately 3:50PM. Parking permit and remote drop-off is for August 22 to November 4.
From now until 7AM on Friday, September 6, 2022 you can click here to purchase a parking permit ($100) or sign up for drop off locations.
Please note, the Barrington Police department will be patrolling the additional parking areas, and violators will be ticketed and potentially towed at the owner’s expense. In addition, please be aware that parking in the remote lots is at your own risk. In the case of vandalism or damage occurring to their vehicle, the owner of the vehicle is responsible for remediating through their personal auto insurance, or out of pocket.
Please note that during the school year the main entrance to BHS off of Main Street will only be accessible to staff, buses and Build 220 construction traffic. All students and parents must use the west parking lot (off Hart Road) to access the building. The west parking lot is reserved for senior parking only.”
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